In a few days the members of unions representing BART workers will complete their vote to approve a new contract—a collective bargaining agreement. The vote will finalize the agreement, making it legally binding on both the unions and on BART.
And only then, when the ink has dried and the agreement is a fait accompli, will the public, including BART riders and Bay Area taxpayers, get a look at the terms, conditions and obligations to which they have been obligated through this secret deal-making process.
Am I the only one who finds this bizarre? That the public is totally excluded from decision-making on such a crucial matter offends all principles of democratic governance.
To be sure, an agency’s negotiations over union contracts are different than run-of-the-mill issues that occupy elected representatives at meetings of directors (or supervisors or council members, etc.) Some secrecy is necessary for the negotiating process to work. I get that. But it does not follow that the public can have no access, and no input, until after the deal is done, at which point it is too late for citizens to voice objections or insist on changes.
Total secrecy serves the interests of the unions and the interests of the employing agencies (in this instance, BART). But it does not serve the public interest.-PETER SCHEER